Spotify Technology SA announced on Monday that it has formed a security council that will provide information on hate speech, disinformation, extremism and online abuse.
The group represents another step in Spotify’s efforts to address harmful content on its streaming audio service, following backlash earlier this year over “The Joe Rogan Experience,” in which the podcaster was accused of spreading misinformation about Covid-19.
The 18 experts, which include representatives from the civil rights group Center for Democracy and Technology, Washington, DC, the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and the Institute of Technology and Society, Brazil, will advise Spotify on product development and policies and ideas on emerging issues.
“The idea is to bring in these world-renowned experts, many of whom have been in this space for several years, to maintain a relationship with them,” said Dustee Jenkins, Spotify’s global head of public affairs. “And to make sure we don’t talk to them when we’re already in the middle of an issue… Instead, we’re meeting with them regularly to be much more proactive about how we think about these issues across the company.”
The board is purely advisory in nature, and Spotify can accept or reject its suggestions. Unlike Facebook’s supervisory board, which decides which cases it reviews, Spotify will present issues for its board to consider and provide feedback.
Many of the participants, such as Kinzen founders Mark Little and Aine Kerr, already consult with Spotify. Some, like Ronaldo Lemos, who was instrumental in creating the Internet Rights Law in Brazil and is a columnist for Sheetprovide regional knowledge.
Sarah Hoyle, Spotify’s head of trust and security, said the advisory board was not formed in reaction to “a particular creator or situation”, but rather in recognition of the challenges of operating a global service at a time when threats are at an all-time high. constant evolution.
“How to build on the in-house expertise that we already have at Spotify, utilize these people whose life’s work has been to study this, and they’re in the market all over the world, just like our users, just like our creators,” said Hoyle.
Translated by Luiz Roberto M. Gonçalves
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
